Rotherham sweep past Preston to make League One play-off final at Wembley

Rotherham's manager, Steve Evans, appeals for home fans to leave the pitch after a premature pitch invasion on Thursday. Photograph: Paul Currie/Action Images

Rotherham's dream of back-to-back promotions is still alive after they booked their place in the League One play-off final by winning 3-1 at home to Preston in the semi-final second leg to secure a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Rotherham, who won automatic promotion from League Two last year, have had an excellent season but they saved one of their best performances for the most important night and triumphed with goals from Wes Thomas, Lee Frecklington and Kieran Agard.

It was a trademark display of attacking endeavour, orchestrated by the influential Ben Pringle, which could have yielded a bigger winning margin but was enough to sets up a final at Wembley against Leyton Orient.

Simon Grayson's men more than played their part in an enthralling clash as they took the lead early on through Paul Gallagher's free-kick and then twice hit the woodwork in their attempts to get back into it though Jake King and Joe Garner.

But Preston, who were among the pre-season favourites to go up, will now spend a fourth season in League One.

The tie was finely poised after Saturday's 1-1 first leg draw at Deepdale, but after a cagey opening the visitors seized the advantage in the 16th minute. The Rotherham defender Kari Arnason needlessly fouled Garner and from the resulting free-kick 30 yards out Gallagher's dangerous delivery evaded everyone, creeping into the far corner.

However, Rotherham's response was swift and they levelled in the 24th minute. From a free-kick in a similar position to Preston's, Pringle whipped in an equally delicious centre. Thomas got a flying header to it, and the ball sailed through the hands of Rudd.

That quick riposte gave Rotherham the impetus, and again thanks to Pringle's incisive left foot they took the lead 10 minutes before the break. The midfielder, who attracted interest from Reading earlier in the season, was afforded time and space on the left and sent in a pinpoint delivery which a late-arriving Frecklington headed deftly in off the post.

The game was now completely open and Preston had several chances to claw themselves level before the break, but Garner and Gallagher both shot over. Rotherham's biggest escape came on the stroke of the interval, when goalkeeper Adam Collin inexplicably allowed John Welsh's shot to slip through his grasp but saw the ball dropd just wide.

The see-saw nature of the match continued into the second half and fter Gallagher wasted a free header from 12 yards Rotherham scored again in the 67th minute thanks to Agard. His 26th goal of the season owed much to the creativity of James Tavernier, who foraged down the right, twisted David Buchanan inside and out, and then rolled the ball across for Agard to turn into the bottom corner.

Preston did not lie down as they desperately tried to mount a recovery, King's 35-yard effort clipping a defender on the way through and crashing into the upright before Garner endured a similar fate. But Rotherham had done enough.

About this article

This article was published on
the Guardian website
at 17.41 EDT on Thursday 15 May 2014.
A version appeared on p2 of the Sport section of the Guardian
on Thursday 15 May 2014.
It was last modified at 21.20 EDT on Friday 20 June 2014.
It was first published at 17.14 EDT on Thursday 15 May 2014.